The Efrafan Princess
by rosexknight
Summary: General Woundwort once had a love...but who was she? I don't own Watership Down, the Lapine language, or any of its characters. Hope you all like it!


**This is a oneshot I wrote a wile back for my guild on Gaia.**** I personally don't think it's very good, but I figured I might as well post it. I hope you all like it!**  
The Efrafan Princess

This is a story of General Woundwort's one and only love, the one who changed him...

It was the early days of Efrafa when she appeared. Woundwort had just taken over and started to shape it into what we know now.

She appeared one day out of the blue. No one knew where she came from or what she was doing here. They hadn't smelled her or came across her tracks. It was as if Lord Frith simply placed her there.

Like all strangers, she was taken to the General. Most rabbits would have been petrified when faced with the massive Chief of Efrafa with his scars and ferocious manner.

But not her.

She had no fear what so ever. This puzzled the General, who only knew to make his followers fear him. Fear meant control and control meant power. Since Efrafa was still small and growing, he knew the importance of does, however, he knew she was unlike other does, and he knew there wasn't another like her out there. She intrigued him. He had to know what made her unaffected by his pressance.

This one is special... he thought to himself. "You will have your own burrow." he told her. "It will be next to mine. Since you are the first newcomer to Efrafa, you will be an example for other strangers we find."

The doe merely nodded without a word.

"Follow me, my dear." he told herwith a smile before turning to his small Owsla. "This doe is to have whatever she wishes. She is not to be mistreated. Understood? Good. Now back to your duties."

The foe followed Woundwort to the burrow. "Something tells me you weren't planning to treat me so kindly." she observed. "It seems to me that the members of your Efrafa fear you very much, General."

The General chuckled "How else should I get them to follow me with no hesitation?" he asked.

The die thought. "Loyalty." she said. "You could earn their trust by being strong and clever. Rebuilding this Warren and making it the strongest around would definetly do the trick."

"That is indeed my goal." Woundwort told her as they arrived at her burrow. "No. I was not planning on treating you so kindly. But you're not affraid of me."

"I see no reason to be, sir. You may be fierce-looking and unkind at heart, but you have not done me wrong yet."

"True." the General said. "Still, it interested me. My owsla will not mistreat you. You will have free rein of the Warren, just do not try to leave."

The doe tilted her head in confusion. "Why not?" she asked, truly puzzled

General Woundwort smiled weakly. "As you said, everyone here fears me. I do not want to change that. Leaving the Warren is forbidden. Though you are the single exception to most rules, this is not one of them. So don't try to leave. I don't wish to kill you."

She once again nodded without a word. Still, no fear crossed her eyes.

"May I have your name before I leave?" he asked.

She paused, then touched her nose to his briefly. "I am known as simply Prinkipessa." she said. "Good night General." she said before turning to go to her burrow.

Over the days that Prinkipessa settled in Efrafa, there were rumors that the General had gone soft. Why else would he allow this doe to be immune to the rules of Efrafa? However, Woundwort quickly put those rumors to rest when he and his owsla raided a Warren and killed almost every rabbit in the place.

Prinkipessa was getting along very well in Efrafa, though. She enjoyed being immune to rules and being able to be relaxed around the owsla, but it unsettled her a bit that the other rabbits lived in fear. One day, she went to Woundwort while he was sleeping in his burrow.

She entered quietly, not wanting to disturb him. He seemed so peaceful. She supposed everyone did, but it was funny to see the ferocious General like it.

She tried not to make a sound, but she sneezed. Woundwort's eyes snapped open. With a snarl, he kept at her and pinned her to the ground, swiping her across the face in the process. When he came to his senses he gasped, leaping away from her instantly. He'd hurt her. He'd hurt HER. The only rabbit to not fear him. The rabbit who was just her with him. Now she would surely change. What had he done?

Prinkipessa simply laughed as she sat up. General Woundwort looked at her in sheer disbelief. She started cheaning her room with her tounge and paw.

"Now I see where you get your reputation." she said, smiling at him. "Serves me right. I shouldn't have came when you were asleep."

The General approached her and causiously helped with the wound. She would have a scar...

"What were you doing here anyway?" he asked.

"I wanted to talk...about the rabbits in Efrafa." she looked up at him. "You let me get by because I don't fear you, but you control others by that fear. Is that really what you want?"

He stopped cleaning, looking at her. "Fear means control. Control means power." he said simply, then went back to cleaning the wound.

Prinkipessa was a bit disappointed. She had thought the General to be better than that. Perhapse he wasn't the buck she thought he was.

"I see..." she said. She pulled away and bowed respectively to him. "Thank you General." she said before turning and hopping off back to her burrow, leaving the General dumbfounded.

In the weeks and months that followed, Prinkipessa grew respected to the members of Efrafa and Owsla alike. She was grown to be called "The Princess of Efrafa." People noticed a change in General Woundwort when he was with her. He was softer. More nervouse. Less ferocious. The Efrafans still saw the General as the most feared thing on earth, but they knew all would be well as long as Prinkipessa was around.

General Woundwort had no idea what happened to him around Prinkipessa. He was more causious with her. More careing. He wasn't so rough. Still, ever since that night in his burrow she seemed to have build a wall to him. She was more guarded. He knew if she didn't break down that wall, he would lose it. He wanted to be around her. To know her inside and out. To have her be comfortable around him.

He was sure he was in love.

When he went to her in her burrow she was sound asleep. The wound he had given her by accident had healed well, but she did indeed have a scar. He bent down, grooming her fur softly.

"I know you dont think very highly of me." he said, doubting she could hear him. "You have to understand my princess...I have a reputation to uphold...I must stay feared or the order of Efrafa will crumble. Still. You smooth out my rough edges. I know it may not be soon, but I would be honored if you would consider me as your buck." he sighed, hopping to the entrance of her burrow. "And I hope one day I'll be able to ask you when you are consious."

He was about to go out when Prinkipessa laughed. He turned to her, realizing she wasn't asleep at all.

"You're no good with words at all are you?" she said. "I make you that nervouse because I don't fear you?"

Woundwort hesitated, a bit taken aback. "Y...yes. You...heard?"

She laughed again. "Yes. All of it. I'm a pretty good faker huh?"

He gulped as she approached him. "Very good." he agreed.

She smiled proudly, then nuzzled his cheek with hers. "I'd consider it, General, but I've already made my descision."

"You have?" he asked fearfully. He was General Woundwort. The most feared rabbit in miles. And the thought of this small doe's regection scared him to death. He felt so pathetic. "And?"

Prinkipessa smiled. "You'll know tonight. After the near hind mark's evening siflay go to your burrow. You'll know then." with that, she hopped out of her burrow and outside.

Woundwort was nervouse all day. He was fidgety and anxious. It was nearing the siflay time of near-hind when Campion came to him.

"Sir! A homba! It's near the Warren!" Campion reported.

Woundwort cursed under his breath. They stood no chance against a homba. Not yet. "Get everyone underground! Report to me if anyone is missing."

"Yes sir!" Campion said, then rushed off.

Woundwort did the same, straight to his burrow, then to hers. Nothing in either. He rushed out, searching. Trying to hold down the fear. She was nowhere in the chaos. He saw Campion coming to him. "Sir! Prinkipessa has disappeared." he said.

No!

"Let no one above ground until I am back. If I'm not back by tomorrow, I leave this warren to you. If I'm not back by then, you're Chief of this warren." Woundwort said.

Campion gave him a confused and fearful look. "But sir! Where are you going?"

Woundwort smirked at him. "To go after the doe I love. MY doe. And if I ever find out you don't do the same, Campion, I'll hunt you down and blind you."

With that, he dashed off. He found the homba easily, it looked like it had something cornered. Woundwort snuck behind him to see Prinkipessa, scratched up, exausted, and ready to bolt as instinct was telling her to. Woundwort couldn't move for a moment, and in that moment the homba attacked, sinking his claws into her side. She cried out in pain and fear.

Fear.

The homba had scared her. The homba had hurt her. The filthy homba had hurt HIS doe!

Woundwort was taken over by a great rage. He attacked the homba, clawing at it and biting. He faught for his doe, not even noticing the wounds he was getting. He clawed at the homba's eyes and it yelpednin pain and ran. "And if you ever look at my doe again it'll be worse than that! Goes for all of you filthy elil!" he cried, enraged.

He was brought back when he heard the weak laugh of Prinkipessa. Sweet, beautiful Prinkipessa...

"YOUR doe eh?" she laughed weakly again, struggling to stand, but se could barely move. "How...did you know my descision? Oh well...now you know." she said as she smiled at him with such love and trust.

Woundwort felt something break inside him. She loved him, and he couldn't save her. It was his fault she was like this. He rushed to her, cleaning her wound. "Prinkipessa...my princess..." tears welled in his eyes. He didn't wanna lose her.

Prinkipessa leaned up and kissed his cheek. "I want to have seven children." she said.

"As many as you want."

"With a big burrow for all of them."

"Bigger than any we've ever seen." he agreed.

She felt her heart beat slow and her breath shallow. Still, she smiled at him as if nothing was wrong. "I want this Warren to be strong and happy. I want our kittens playing with the owsla and members eating Flayrah every day. I want this Warren...to be the strongest in the world...can you do that my prince?"

Woundwort knew she would stop running soon. His chest ached and his eyes filled with tears seeing her smile. He'd always thought of himself as the strongest rabbit in Efrafa, but he realized this little doe had been much stronger. "I will." he promised.

"Thank you..." she said. Her eyes grew heavy and her body went limp.

The Princess of Efrafa was gone.

Woundwort went back to efrafa hardened. He built a wall around his heart and let no one in. He became uncareing and cruel and cold. Still Efrafa grew and prospered. The elil themselves feared the efrafans, and the efrafans feared General Woundwort.

He'd shut everyone out, but he had kept his promise to the one and only doe he'd ever loved.

Efrafa was indeed the strongest Warren in the world.

-End-

**(Note: her name "Prinkipessa" is the Greek word for "Princess")  
homba=fox  
siflay=to feed above ground  
flayrah=really good food like carrots**

Hope you all liked it! Please rate and comment!


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